Massachusetts
Police investigate theft of more than 200 Pride flags in Massachusetts
Police are investigating the theft of more than 200 Pride flags in Carlisle, Massachusetts, that occurred just before Pride month – and amid a wave of anti-LGBTQ+ measures from US legislatures.
In a statement released on Friday, the Carlisle police department announced that it is investigating the theft of the flags, which were taken out of a prominent local traffic circle earlier in the week.
The police said that on 27 May they were notified that the flags, which had been placed in the traffic circle, had been stolen overnight. The flags were last seen on Sunday evening.
“We are taking this very seriously,” the Carlisle police chief, Andrew Amendola, said. He added: “It is unfortunate, as Carlisle is an inclusive community, and we want everyone to feel safe and welcomed here.”
In a statement on Facebook, Travis Snell, chair of the Carlisle select board, which acts as the community’s governing board, said: “Such action and behavior have no place in Carlisle, and our police department is working to identify whoever is responsible and they will be held accountable.”
“On behalf of the town of Carlisle, the Select Board would like to reiterate that Carlisle is an inclusive community that respects its freedoms and the rights of individuals,” Snell added, according to the local news station NBC10.
According to NBC10, people replaced the flags within hours of them being stolen.
Pride month in June is an annual celebration of LGBTQ+ people. It recognizes the 1969 uprising at the Stonewall Inn bar in New York City’s Greenwich Village, where patrons fomented the modern LGBTQ+ protest and celebration movement by resisting police harassment and extortion.
The theft of the flags comes amid heightened discrimination against LGBTQ+ communities across the US. A poll released by the nonpartisan Public Religion Research Institute in March has revealed that public support for same-sex marriage and nondiscrimination protections for LGBTQ+ communities has declined.
Support for same-sex marriage has declined from 69% to 67% in the last year, the poll revealed, adding that Americans aged 18 to 29 showed a gradual decrease in support for LGBTQ+ nondiscrimination laws over the last three years. In 2020, the support stood at 83% whereas it dipped to 75% in 2023.
Meanwhile, South Carolina’s Republican governor, Henry McMaster, recently signed a bill into law that bans gender-affirming care for transgender minors, making the state the 25th in the US to restrict or ban gender-affirming care for minors.
So far in 2024, there have been at least 515 anti-LGBTQ+ bills introduced across the country, according to the American Civil Liberties Union.
“While more states every year work to pass laws to protect LGBTQ people, state legislatures are advancing bills that target transgender people, limit local protections and allow the use of religion to discriminate,” the ACLU said. “The ACLU will not stop speaking out against these cruel attacks nationwide. LGBTQ people have a right to live in safety, to thrive and to be treated with dignity.”
Massachusetts
Massachusetts man awaits word from family in Iran after attacks
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Massachusetts
How will the Iran war impact gas prices in Massachusetts?
With a widening conflict in the Middle East after the American and Israeli attack on Iran Saturday, global markets are bracing for a shakeup in the energy supply chain.
So, here at home, what can consumers expect at the gas pump?
An increase in oil prices is almost always followed by an increase in gas prices. And the oil market has already reacted to the war. NBC News reported on Sunday that U.S. crude oil initially spiked more than 10%, while Brent, the international oil benchmark, rose as much as 13%.
Early Monday morning, reports were coming in of black smoke rising from the U.S. embassy in Kuwait City.
While Iran’s oil reserves supply less than an estimated 5% of global production, the main concern is the Strait of Hormuz. This maritime passageway borders Iran at the bottleneck of the Persian Gulf, and more than 20% of the world’s oil passes through. If Iran closes or restricts Hormuz, the oil market could face severe disruptions.
Gas prices rise about 2.5 cents for every dollar increase in crude oil prices. As of Sunday, U.S. crude oil prices had already increased by nearly $5 a barrel.
“I fully expect that by Monday night, you could credibly say that gas prices are being impacted by oil prices having gone up,” GasBuddy analyst Patrick De Haan told NBC News.
GasBuddy characterizes their expectations for price increases as “incremental” rather than “explosive”. The group said to anticipate a potential 10-15 cent increase over the next couple of weeks.
Massachusetts
Body camera video shows Massachusetts police officer save 78-year-old man from burning truck – East Idaho News
EASTON, Mass. (WBZ) — Police body camera video shows an Easton, Massachusetts, officer rescuing a 78-year-old Raynham man from a burning car on Friday morning.
A Mack dump truck was experiencing problems on the side of Turnpike Street just after 2 a.m. when a Ford pickup truck struck the back of it, according to police.
The pickup truck then became stuck under the dump truck, trapping the driver, Francis Leverone, inside. A Toyota Camry then hit the back of the pickup truck and caught fire, police said.
Easton police officer Dean Soucie arrived at the crash and saw that the two vehicles were on fire. Video shows Soucie rushing over before breaking the driver’s side window and then, with the help of the two witnesses, freeing Leverone from the pickup truck. Soucie said he was confused but conscious.
“As I reached inside the vehicle, one of the passersby — he actually jumped into the cab of the truck, and he helped me free the individual,” Soucie said.
They then carried the driver to safety.
Leverone was taken to a nearby hospital before being transferred to a Boston hospital. He received serious but non-life-threatening injuries.
No one else was injured in the crash.
Dee Leverone told WBZ her husband is doing OK. “I’m just thankful for the people that got him out,” she said. “Very thankful.”
After watching the police body-cam video on the news she said, “I was shocked, I was like ‘Oh my God!’ I just couldn’t believe it. His truck is like melted.”
She says she realized that something was wrong last night when her husband never made it home from work.
“I kept trying to call him and call him, and I finally got a hold of him at like 4:30 a.m., and he was at (Good Samaritan Hospital) and he told me he’s gotten in an accident,” Dee said.
She says he’s recovering at the Boston Medical Center and being treated for a dislocated hip.
“He’s a trooper,” Dee said. “He’s a strong man — and you know he’s 78, but you know he’s a toughie. He definitely is a toughie.”
Soucie commended the help of the two witnesses and said that before he arrived at the crash, they had attempted to put out the flames with a fire extinguisher and removed a gasoline tank from the pickup truck before it could ignite.
“They jumped into action like it was nothing,” Soucie said. “Those two individuals were absolutely awesome.”
Easton Police Chief Keith Boone said that he is “extremely proud” of Soucie and the witnesses.
“He saved a life last night,” Chief Boone said. “He is an exemplary police officer and this is just one example. I think he’s a hero.”
Turnpike Street was closed for several hours following the crash. Easton Police are investigating.
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